How Can Disney Bring Back Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker?
The Skywalker saga is over, so they say. But the desire to go back to the originals or prequels will always exist. Nostalgia really hits you hard once you’re more than a decade removed from Star Wars movies. It also doesn’t help that Lucasfilm is bringing back characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi. Hayden Christensen is one actor who was underappreciated during the prequels and has yet to confirm any reprisal of the role. But, of course, fans hope rumors of his return are true.
The rumors about Hayden Christensen returning have grown since the announcement of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series
Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm, announced the Untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series at Disney’s D23 Expo in August. As of now, the series is reportedly about Obi-Wan eight years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. He’s staying on Tatooine to watch over Luke Skywalker while trying to harness the power to see Qui-Gon Jinn’s Force ghost. Ewan McGregor is coming back to portray the Jedi and has said that the role will help him dive into the trauma and feelings Obi-Wan is facing after the demise of the Jedi Order.
One of the biggest rumors regarding the series has been whether Anakin Skywalker could return. While gossip sites report that Disney/Lucasfilm are seriously considering this, that’s not officially the case. But, considering that the whole Star Wars saga — the original trilogy and prequels — focus on Anakin Skywalker’s story, bringing Anakin back could make sense. And with Christensen attached, it could open a lot of possibilities.
‘The Rise of Skywalker’ gave too much of a tease, and now fans want Christensen back
Since Episode IX was the last movie in the “Skywalker saga,” many hoped that Anakin Skywalker would make an appearance. Even though the sequel trilogy didn’t include Anakin at all, other than Kylo Ren’s false ideas around Vader, many thought it would be an excellent way to close out the saga. But alas, it wasn’t mean to be, and Christensen only cameoed in voice-over form. But, it was a tease that many want more from.
While it could seem desperate on Disney’s part to bring Anakin back, it might serve a lot of good in the expanded Disney universe of Star Wars. Before Disney acquired the franchise and studio, there was a whole collection of stories that were no longer canon thanks to the merger. This collection — known as Legends — added a lot of backstory and depth to Vader, Anakin, and the rest of the characters.
Because of this, there is some value in revisiting his story. There are also moments already in canon that don’t exist in TV or movie form. There are the Darth Vader and Vader comics along with the Vader Immortal VR series that tell of the villain’s deeds after becoming the mechanical Darth Vader. Factoring in that Vader is one of the most iconic villains of all time, it might be worth a mini-series of its own.
How could Anakin Skywalker return? Should Christensen come back?
If a Darth Vader-centric series doesn’t happen, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series would be the best, most authentic way to bring Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker back. Obi-Wan is getting over all the Jedi that were “slaughtered,” and survivor’s guilt could result in hallucinations of Anakin or more. It could also set up a moment where Vader and Obi-Wan meet for the first time after he left his former Padawan to burn on Mustafar.
It also could serve up some excitement for The Clone Wars fans. If Ahsoka is included here, as some hope, we could finally see Anakin and Ahsoka together in live-action form. Of course, it would have to be a flashback of some sort, but it would be a very geeky moment fans might want.
Regardless, if Christensen is brought back in either Anakin or Vader’s roles, it would create a lot of excitement. But if it doesn’t happen, that doesn’t change the fact that the Kenobi Disney+ show is one of the most-anticipated series coming to the streaming platform.
